I am 50 years old. My periods have stopped and I am getting a lot of menopausal symptoms. I am feeling very itchy all over my body - could this be a part of the menopause? If so, what treatments can I use?

Itchy skin is very common in the menopause and it is often caused by lowering oestrogen levels.

However; stress, dehydration, and constipation can be contributory factors so do look at your diet and lifestyle as well.

Make sure that you are drinking plenty of plain water every day - tea, coffee, fizzy drinks don't count! You could also try a fermented soya supplement as this is traditionally used to help gently raise and balance oestrogen so it may help to reduce symptoms as well.

Some women find taking a couple of cups of nettle tea a day can help too.

Acupuncture is known to help balance the hormones in the menopause so it would be worth looking into.

Eileen Durward